Meaning & use
hobnails
Last updated
“hobnails” is a form of “hobnail”.
Meaning
nounplural
Short nails with thick, wide heads hammered into the soles of heavy boots to make them last longer and grip the ground.
Grammar: Plural of hobnail: the boots had hobnails on the soles.
Patterns
- boots with hobnails
- studded with hobnails
The farmer's boots were studded with hobnails that clicked on the stone floor.
Hobnails gave walkers a firm grip on wet mountain paths.
He heard the hobnails scrape across the cobbles outside.
Word forms
| singular | hobnail |
|---|
Common combinations
- hobnail boots
- Soldiers once marched in hobnail boots.
- studded with hobnails
- The soles were studded with hobnails.
- clatter of hobnails
- We heard the clatter of hobnails on the road.
- hammer in hobnails
- The cobbler hammered in new hobnails.
Synonyms and how they differ
- studs
- Studs is a general word for raised metal points, while hobnails are specifically short, wide-headed nails in boot soles.
- tacks
- Tacks are small sharp nails used for fixing things down, not for grip on the underside of a boot.
- cleats
- Cleats are modern grips on sports shoes and are usually larger and made of plastic or rubber.
Word family
Commonly confused: hobnails or hobnob?
hobnails vs hobnob
To hobnob is to mix socially with important people; it has nothing to do with boots.
Practice
Which item would a nineteenth-century walker most likely have fixed to the soles of his boots?
Choose one answer.
Hobnails are thick-headed nails added to boot soles for wear and grip. Buttons and ribbons are decorative or fastening items, not sole grips.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hobnails”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.